Welcome to the Fallout
by Coneflower Adams
Summary: Fix-It Felix Jr. wasn't one to go hit up on a lady, and he had no intentions of starting, but the armor-clad woman looked like she needed a friend.
1. Chapter 1

There was something about the way she nursed her drink that made Felix take notice. The lady alone at the bar, gazing forlornly into her mug like it was a wishing well that had stopped giving wishes. No matter how hard Felix tried to keep his attention elsewhere, his eyes kept wandering over to her.

Fix-It Felix Jr. wasn't one to go hit up on a lady, and he had no intentions of starting, but the armor-clad woman looked like she needed a friend. Her long lashes hooded her eyes, shoulders pushed up and tense; maybe she had a bad day at work.

This was a bar. Folks frequented the establishment to unwind or vent to the barkeep or shed a few tears in their root beer (as was told to him by Gene, respectively). The only reason he was here was to meet Ralph, and the big man hadn't shown up yet.

Felix hopped off his stool, making his way over to the lady that so intrigued him. He cleared his throat, feeling the urge to swipe off his hat but hesitated – too formal for a bar setting? What the hay, he did it anyway. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

The lady peered over her shoulder then lowered her gaze to find him. "Yeah, short stack?"

"Is this seat taken?"

She sighed. "Look, pal, if you're here to hit up on me, I'm not interested."

"I'm really not." He hopped up on the barstool. "You look like you need a little company is all." Felix smiled, replacing his hat. "I'm Fix-It Felix Jr. from the Fix-It Felix Jr."

A light snort escaped her. "At least if you ever forget your name; you can look on the default screen to see what it is."

Now that she mentioned it; Felix laughed. "I guess so, ma'am."

She finally faced him, and Felix nearly fell off the seat. He'd never been this close to a high-definition character. From the little freckles lightly peppering her cheeks to the depths of her blue eyes, her details were amazing. He tried to still his beating heart before anything embarrassingly 8-bit happened. He was only here for a simple chat. That's it.

"Sergeant Calhoun of Hero's Duty," the lady said, offering a hand. Felix accepted, surprised by her firm grip even through the gloves they both wore.

"Nice to meet you, Sergeant Calhoun." He settled back on the stool, laying his clasped hands in his lap. "Hero's Duty, you say? You guys just got plugged in."

Calhoun nodded. "Over a week ago."

"How's it going?" his cheerful inquiry fell flat on the floor at the suddenly tension that radiated from his new companion.

"We're surviving," she answered vaguely into the depths of her root beer. Felix waited for a moment to see if she'd continue, but instead was questioned, "What do you do over in Fix-It Felix Jr.?" She stayed hunched over her mug as she turned to him, those blue eyes piercingly stunning.

"Oh well," Felix shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "I fix things." He whipped out his golden hammer, catching it with ease, and presenting it to the sergeant with a little shake. "My hammer fixes almost anything."

"A hammer that fixes almost anything?" Calhoun cracked a smile for the first time, small but there. She shook her head. "I have a lot to learn about the 8-bit games."

Felix would have been more than happy to tell Calhoun anything she wanted to know about 8-bit games, but a large figure shadowed the entrance. Disappointment tugged at his features; why couldn't Ralph show up a few minutes later.

"My friend I was waited for just walked in."

Calhoun's lips formed an 'oh', and she stared into her mug one last time. "You go ahead. I need to get back to work anyhow."

Felix offered his hand, conjuring a cheerful smile. "Nice meeting you, Sergeant Calhoun."

"You too, Fix-It." This time her grasp was more lax, the shake drawn out. "See you around."

Felix tipped his hat to her before joining Ralph, wondering whether he'd ever see the sergeant again.

* * *

A chipper whistle filled the apartment as the door swung open. Felix snagged his hat on the hook by the doorframe, the content vibe from the party in Mario Kart still carrying on. He strolled toward his bedroom to change for the evening when he found himself snatched up, a hand slapping over his mouth.

Felix's mind blanked from the shock. No one had ever broken in and held him captive before! His mind finally caught up with his limbs, and he began to struggle against the iron grip securing him.

"Fix-It," a voice hissed in his ear; a voice he only heard for a brief time a week ago but definitely hadn't forgotten.

He relaxed against the body confining him. "Sergeant Calhoun?"


	2. Chapter 2

The arm wrapped around his middle loosened, setting Felix back on his feet. He spun around to face his unexpected guest. "If you wanted to drop by, ma'am, you simply could of knocked on my door."

"Sorry about that," Calhoun mumbled an uncomfortable apology, "I was trying to keep my presence a secret."

"What're you doing here?"

"I need your help."

"You do? How can I be of service to you, ma'am?"

Calhoun began to pace, rubbing a hand over her face as she did. She looked like a rabbit ready to bolt from a trap. "Hero's Duty isn't like other games. We don't all happy-go-lucky skip off after work hours. We fight cy-bugs, but the thing about cy-bugs is they don't know they're in a game."

Her piercing gaze zeroed in on him. Felix caught a glance at the way her fists shook, the action making him a little on edge. "All they know is eat, kill, multiple. Our work never ends. They keep coming and coming like a never-ending flow of death. But that's not the worst of it."

Calhoun ceased pacing. She closed her eyes bringing a knuckle to her mouth, taking in several deep breaths. Felix stayed rooted to the floor as she continued, "The programmers of Hero's Duty thought it was a great idea to program me with the most tragic backstory. Every day I relive the nightmare that is my past. I've tried to not think about it, to ignore the images in my head, but they never stop coming."

Felix remained speechless. He wasn't wrong when thinking this woman needed a friend. He never heard such a horrible circumstance. Why were games programmed to be so violent these days? His heart went out to this woman, but he didn't know what he could possibly do for her.

"How exactly do you reckon I can help you?"

Calhoun gestured to the tool hanging from his belt. "You said your hammer can fix anything."

Felix raised a finger, chiming in, "Almost anything." Then it hit him. "Sergeant Calhoun, if you want me to do what I think you want me to-"

The frustration was already evident on her features. "At least _try_ to fix me."

Felix had lived in a happy little bubble his whole life; the closest to seeing sadness was a fellow game being unplugged. The wounded look in her eyes tugged Felix's heartstrings. This woman standing here was broken, and as a fixer, he was moved to do whatever he could to repair the brokenness.

He held up his golden hammer, the weight of the tool uncharacteristically heavy in his grasp. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that his hammer could fix shattered windows and smashed bricks, and could even heal physical abrasions, but emotional wounds programmed into code? He already knew the outcome.

Calhoun bent to one knee, lifting her chin with dignity. "Fix me, Felix," she uttered with such trust and surety in her voice that made Felix's hand want to tremble.

He tapped her chest gently over her heart, but the familiar fixing jingle didn't ring. "It didn't work, ma'am."

"Try tapping my head." Felix cringed at the suggestion. "I'm not scared of a little tap on my noggin, Fix-It."

Felix took a deep breath, taping the bell of the hammer as soft as he could against her blonde head. Nothing. His limbs fell to his sides. "I'm sorry, Miss Calhoun."

The sergeant stayed bent on one knee for an extended moment, the hope depleting from her. She got to her feet, head bowed, and a far off look in her gaze. "It was a mistake coming here. I should of known better than to assume this would work."

She made a beeline for the door, but Felix reached out, grabbing her hand. "Miss Calhoun, wait!" Felix's heart went out to this woman. He didn't know what was compelling him to want to help her, to fix the distress that ailed her. She was absolutely stunning in her HD glory, but there was more to Sergeant Calhoun than that; more than just helping out a pretty face. His hammer may not have fixed her, but he was determined to repair her brokenness or his name wasn't Fix-It Felix Jr.

"Why don't you stay the night?" The words flew out of his mouth, and Felix couldn't believe what he was suggesting. "Maybe getting away from your game will help ease your mind."

They mutually dropped the handhold. A beat of silence filled the room as both looked anywhere but at each other. Felix was beginning to worry that his offer was too forward, or Miss Calhoun would get the wrong idea. A tint of red colored his cheeks, adding more detail to his offer, "You can sleep in my bed, and I'll take the couch. My bed may be a little short for you, but it's cozier than the couch."

He glanced up at her to find Calhoun nibbling on the inside of her lip, still mulling over the idea. "Okay," she nodded, "But I don't want to put you out of your own bed, Fix-It."

"It's no problem, ma'am."

Felix was confident that his plan would work, that Sergeant Calhoun would be as right as rain in the morning and he'd see her off with a smile. He was right as Calhoun sat down at his bar, Felix presenting her with a bountiful plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

"Why the feast?" she asked as Felix hopped up on the stool next her.

"I never get to cook a big breakfast since its only little ole' me," he shrugged, feeling his cheeks heat up, "Feel any better?"

Calhoun broke a piece of bacon off, crunching it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and Felix caught the way she savored the meal. "I do. This is the first night since being plugged in that I slept the entire night."

"See? All you need was a restful night's sleep."

The two enjoyed the breakfast and the company. Felix sent Calhoun on her way, the cloaking device on her armor hiding her from any nosy neighbors. The relief in her eyes as she left made his chest swell, his task at fixing the brokenness had worked. But what Felix didn't realize was that emotional healing took time, and Sergeant Calhoun would be a work in progress.


End file.
